


The Beauty of Life

by KennaxVal



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25286728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KennaxVal/pseuds/KennaxVal
Relationships: Allura/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	The Beauty of Life

“Adam, I’m sorry.”

Shiro’s hand lingered on the picture of his long-lost fiancee as if wishing hard enough could bring Adam back. But he couldn’t linger; the Earth was still in danger and he would have to help Voltron if the rest of humanity had any chance.

Just then, a chill went down his spine as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Allura

“Shiro, you’re needed in the… oh my…” She noticed Shiro fixated on Adam’s picture. “I’m terribly sorry, Shiro.”

“Don’t be.” He responded quietly, his head down low. 

This wasn’t like him at all. As long as she’s known him, Shiro could always tell Allura anything and likewise. But she figured a little propping would get him to open up. “Were you two close?”

Shiro shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve lost him forever.” And almost robotically, he turned to walk away. “Come on. We have debriefing.”

“But, I think we should talk about…”

“That can wait. Sendak isn’t going to wait for me to talk about my feelings.”

Allura followed at a distance, but she didn’t know how to process her own emotions. Of course, she was sad for Shiro’s pain, but seeing him lament another had an effect she couldn’t quite place.

***

There were days when the pain of losing Altea was too much to bear and on that day, Allura got out of bed for a walk. These new paladins may have represented hope for justice, but that also reminded the Princess of how much she’d lost.

She peered out into the night sky knowing that somewhere out there, Zarkon was plotting a similar fate for the entire universe. How she hated him! That monster would never know the pain of her loss, but she wouldn’t rest until he at least lost his life.

A chill went down her spine as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Trouble sleeping?”

Much to Allura’s relief, it was the leader, Shiro. She couldn’t say why, but there was a comfort in his presence she didn’t experience with the others. Perhaps it was his strong sense of nobility or maybe it was the fact that he’d encountered the Galra in his own right and was less likely than the others to take the war lightly. Whatever it was, Allura felt better seeing him.

“Indeed. And I see the same is true for you?”

Shiro nodded. “Sometimes I get nightmares of the experiments the Galra ran on me.” He rubbed his mechanical arm. “Every once in a while, I forget that my real arm is gone. I’ll even get the occasional itch, which makes no sense at all.”

Allura took his hand and squeezed gently. “I’m glad the Black Lion chose you. It’s too soon for me to give the others my vote of confidence, but you’re different, Shiro. Without you, I fear hope would be lost.”

“I feel the same about you, Allura,” Shiro said with a smile, “you’ve given me a reason to move on in my life and together we’ll save the universe.”

While Allura wanted to ask Shiro about moving on in his life, she decided he would tell her in his own good time.

***

“The nerve of Sanda! How dare she suggest giving up the Lions?”

Shiro let out a heavy sigh, without saying a word. 

“Shiro!” Allura walked over to him trying to meet his eyes. “Haven’t you anything to say about this? Sendak is about to do to your planet what Zarkon did to mine and your Admiral wants to hand over the only means of defeating him.”

“What do you want me to say?” Hearing Shiro raise his voice shook Allura, but he pressed on. “ She’s making the wrong call, I get that. But we just have to stay vigilant to prevent her from doing anything foolish. There is only the mission; no squabbles among our ranks, no feelings that could be dangerous, just the task at hand. Is that too much to ask?”

“This isn’t you, Shiro.” Allura lifted his chin to look in his eyes. “Why are you shutting me out? We’ve always been able to share our feelings ever since I confided in you about my pain. We’ve spent hours gazing at the vastness of space and grown very close. What changed you?”

“It’s Adam.” Tears formed in Shiro’s eyes. “I can’t take that kind of pain again. So just do me a favor and leave me be.”

Allura stood her ground and looked longingly into Shiro’s face. “Pain is a part of life, more essential than either of us care to admit. It’s pain, and death, and sadness that make life worth living. All those moments when we held hands and laughed together wouldn’t have been special if that’s all our lives were.”

“You weren’t there, Allura. You didn’t see the look on Adam when he realized I wasn’t going to back down. It… It haunts me to this day. Do you know what it’s like to love someone and see that affection fade from their face?”

Gently, Allura squeezed Shiro’s hand. When he looked at her, tears were pooling in her eyes. “I hope that’s not what I’m seeing now.”

“Don’t you get it, Allura? It’s not that I don’t have feelings for you, it’s that I dare not risk having something so special only to lose it. I lost Adam in, perhaps, a more meaningful sense long before his death. Going through either scenario with you might be the thing that finally finishes me off.”

Shiro tried to turn away, but Allura’s grip remained strong. “We both know that’s not true. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known, Shiro. I know that you’ll never give up on the universe no matter the odds or how much pain you’re harboring. That’s part of why I, well, love you so much.”

Those words made Shiro’s breath stop short save for the wince that came out of him. Seeing Shiro make such an effort to contain his emotions worried Allura and even scared her.

“You don’t know what you’re saying!” Shiro grabbed Allura with intensity but there was a softness to the way he held her. Even in his state of distress, he took care not to hurt her. “Sendak is going to look for any weakness he can find and use it against us. If he knows that I love you, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

“Shiro, what more could Sendak possibly threaten to do? If he gets his way, the universe will either die or suffer under his iron fist. We are all marked for death in his eyes.”

“There are some things worse than death.”

Tense silence filled the air. It appeared there was no getting to Shiro so Allura lifted her head to press her lips to his before walking to the door.

“I love you, Shiro,” she said, turning slightly in his direction, “and you haven’t lost me. I know you’ll find your way and I’ll be there when you do.”

No words could have had a stronger impact on Shiro. Despite their love, Adam gave up on him and yet Allura promised to be waiting. Shiro closed his eyes and thought back to every time he and the Princess talked, laughed, fought together, and every other form of bonding that occurred between them. And he knew Allura was right; those are the moments that the Paladins have been fighting for.

Shiro raced down the hall, his legs pumping incredibly hard and his arms, real and mechanical, swinging back and forth in an almost cartoonish fashion. By the time he caught up to Allura, he nearly knocked her over.

“Goodness!” Allura regained her balance. “Is something wrong, Shiro?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong at all. In fact, things have been right for a very long time but I let my fears get in the way of seeing it. I love you, Allura, and I want you to know what it means that you were willing to wait for me to seize the moment. No matter what happens next, I want to savor the beauty of life with you.”

Allura took hold of Shiro. “I, for one, think we’ve said all that we need. How about you and I start living our life together?”

And without saying a word, Shiro kissed the Princess passionately, picked her up, and carried her back to his quarters.


End file.
